Review: Common Side Effects “Hildy”

Overview

Marshall seeks advice from Hildy; Copano and Harrington are drawn further into the mystery.

Our Take

Hildy is a former confidante of Marshall’s but it looks like with this mushroom in play she’s just one more in a line of others that’s on the tail of Marshall as he attempts to start a new mushroom farm that can grow enough to cure every disease known to mankind. Copano and Harrington are digging deeper in an attempt to stop the expansion of the drug whilst Reutical Pharma seems to have taken a bit of a step back in their attempt to get a lick as well.

We don’t even get to spend a lot of time with the Reutical folks this week with the exception of Frances where we learn more about her backstory, ditto for what Agents Copano and Harrington do when they aren’t on duty. It should be noted that Harrington’s voice actor Martha Kelly is following up her brilliant performance from her leading role on Carol & The End of the World with her take as Harrington so I’m looking forward to spending more time with her in the future. The comedic moments are there, but as Common Side Effects progresses I’m really digging the more dramatic vibes that the series is showcasing. I’m slowly getting the sense we’re getting an animated take on cat-and-mouse movies like those that you’d see from the Farrelly brothers or Todd Phillips but probably leaning more towards the latter with an edgier tone.

The other bit of note is the trip sequences that don’t bother to be as outlandish as your traditional animated trip sequences, but the producers make sure to give you just enough to let you know, this is a trip. A very contemporary take on a long-standing trope that has probably long worn out it’s welcome, Green Street Pictures is approaching Psilocybins much in the same way Seth Rogen did with weed in that we’re starting to move past old-school ways of drug-induced altered minds and instead respect the fact that everyone probably experiences trips differently therefore we’re doing something different here. It goes to show that Steve Hely and Joe Bennett are attempting to not just modernize, but progress the conversations on drug humor in a way that was sorely needed.

Clearly the show is doing a bit of world building still, readying set pieces and planting seeds for multiple crossroads that appear to be on the horizon. Almost like heading to Wonderland whilst chasing Alice, Common Side Effects has me hooked.